A: MISS DIG is Michigan's statewide one-call notification system that was developed in order to provide excavators and the general public the ability to inform multiple owners of underground facilities of excavation with a single call. MISS DIG is a not-for-profit independent company that processes information from excavators and passes that information on to affected utilities. MISS DIG does not do any physical locating and marking of buried facilities in the field, therefore, MISS DIG is not responsible for incorrect marking or damages resulting from failing to mark in a timely fashion.

Q: Do I have to call before I dig?

A: Michigan's statute, Act 174 of Public Act 2013, requires anyone who engages in or is responsible for the planning or performance of any type of excavation e.g.; grading, demolition, cultivating, augering, blasting, or boring to provide advance notice of at least three full working days to MISS DIG at 800-482-7171. The call center is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to take ticket requests. MISS DIG must be called prior to excavation in order to comply with the state statute. You must, however, contact the utility company directly in the event of a utility line damage. MISS DIG does not process that type of information.

Q: How soon can I dig once the locate request has been placed?

A: It is very important to wait until the legal start date and time assigned. Beginning work earlier can result in forfeiture of your rights and protections granted under Michigan statute, Act 174 of Public Act 2013. MISS DIG will issue the earliest legal start date possible, usually three business days after you contact MISS DIG.

Q: How long is a locate request valid?

A: A ticket remains valid for 21 calendar days after the legal dig start date requested on the MISS DIG ticket. It is, however, the excavator's responsibility to get the marks refreshed when needed. A ticket becomes invalid only if the work continues past 21 calendar days, or the locate marks are missing or need refreshing. In certain situations, MISS DIG may issue a project ticket that will remain valid for 180 calendar days.

Q: When should I request a re-mark?

A: You may request a re-mark after an original locate request ticket has been placed and one of the following conditions exists:

Missing or disturbed locate markings.

Work did not begin on the legal start date.

Work was interrupted for several days.

The original ticket number is required to obtain a re-mark. If the original ticket is invalid, it will take three more business days for the relocate request to be filled. For valid tickets, the facility owners will then generally re-mark the site as soon as possible.

Q: What about the depth of underground facilities?

A: Utility owners have no control over depth variation caused by human interference, weather, or other circumstances. As a result, utilities will only mark the approximate location, not the depth of buried facilities.

Q: Why do I have to hand dig around a marked facility?

A: Locating is not an exact science, and, therefore, the actual location of the facility could vary from the position of the marks. Also, state law mandates hand exposure of marked lines prior to the use of power equipment.

Q: What is Positive Response?

A: Positive Response is a system housed at the MISS DIG center that will allow any participating member or their authorized locating contractor to provide status of dig tickets sent to them by MISS DIG. Once the member or the locating contractor determines the status of the ticket, such as clear or marked, they can then post that response to the system. The posted status is then attached to the ticket and stored on the Positive Response server. The posted status can then be retrieved by the requester of the ticket at response.missdig.org, or by using the interactive voice response system at 800-763-3888.

Q:If a homeowner hires a contractor to do excavation work, who is responsible for calling MISS DIG?

A: According to the state law, the excavator must notify the one-call center, not the homeowner for whom the work is being done. If you are a contractor, it is your legal obligation to call MISS DIG - It is not the responsibility of your customer.

Q: What happens to the flags that mark the underground facilities once excavation work is completed?

A: Once you are done with the job, be sure to remove the flag markers. Utilities or their contract locators will not return to your jobsite to remove marks or flags.

Q: What is a private facility?

A: A private facility is an underground line that is not owned by a utility or other member of MISS DIG - they are owned by homeowners and private businesses who are not required to be members of MISS DIG and therefore, will not be notified of your intent to dig. As a result, these lines will not be marked, even after a locate request is processed. Examples of private facilities include electric, gas and/or communications lines owned by a business, or homeowner-owned underground sprinkler systems, invisible dog fences, or electricity to a detached garage. It is the excavator's duty to notify the owners of private facilities of their intent to dig.

Q:Are there limits on what I can request to have located?

A: MISS DIG tickets do have Scope of Work limitations to allow member utilities the ability to complete the utility line locating within the 3 business day time frame. There are limits on things such as the number of addresses, utility poles and apartment buildings. There are also limitations on the length of a particular request when work is being performed in or near a road right-of-way. For detailed information on MISS DIG’s Scope of Work, please visit: http://midpa.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/miss-dig-scope-of-work-guidelines/

Q: What information will I be asked when calling MISS DIG?A:

Your name and phone number

The contractor or person doing the work.

The geographical location (county, city, village, or township) of the work area.

The address where the work will be done.

Nearest cross streets to the work site

The type of work being done; for example, installing a fence or building a deck.

Information about the project area that identifies the boundaries for the utility representatives; for example, locate underground utility lines 100 feet from the north side of the house; locate underground utility lines in the entire yard; or locate underground utility lines in the front yard.

When do you plan to dig.

Notable Firsts

The MISS DIG System was the first 24-hour operated notification system in the U.S.

The MISS DIG System was the first computerized notification system in the U.S.

The MISS DIG System was the first statewide notification system in the U.S.

The MISS DIG System was the first notification system to offer an overhead electric program in the U.S.

The MISS DIG System has the largest total ticket-taking volume of any one-call center in the U.S. with over 20 million total dig notice requests since 1970.

Please allow for 3 full working days before you dig - call the MISS DIG System at 811 or 800-482-7171.

MISS DIG will send your work request to member facility owners who will mark the approximate location of their underground utility lines at no charge.